2020 - Can it be 2021 already?

First, an update. We are alive - all of us. It's been over 8 years since I updated the blog, and I am sure no one was really worried about our health and safety. Since I have your attention, though...

Here is a recent photo of our family at the beach.

The boys have grown. Faster than I could have imagined. I'm not even sure where the time went. I only hear my parents' voices in a distant fog "You're growing up too fast", "Where did the time go?", "When are you moving back home?" and I feel that inevitable failure of keeping the sand from slipping between my fingers. The beach always brings me comfort, even when I don't really feel like going. There is something amazing about looking out in the distance and seeing nothing but the horizon, an endless sea going somewhere while I can be firmly planted where I am. The scent of the fresh ocean air, cool breezes, a slight saltiness adding depth, as I breathe in and out. The conundrum of wanting time to move ahead and yet wanting some things to stay the same is the very dichotomy of our existence, I think. I worry for the future, but at the same time know that all things happen as they should. "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens." - Ecclesiastes 3:1  I shouldn't be surprised when seasons last longer or shorter than I think, I should be trying to make the most of them while they are here. So, I am committing to the now. 2020 has not been my favorite season - pandemic, job hunting, digital learning, no travel, but in the midst of it, a fierce love of the people in my house grew within me.  I feel fortunate that my family is so close right now, that we have this time together before the next season, that we're willing to give each other the space to be individuals even if we are living on top of each other. I hope everyone is able to look at what they can gain in this season instead of what we are losing. 

Happy Thanksgiving!